What does a Tea party mean to me? Well in Sri lanka, tea is an energizing beverage to be shared with friends and family when you feel thirsty. But not so in USA it seems, their tea parties are marred by undercurrents of hatred and unrest. (No offense to Americans)
Of course it all started with the Boston Tea party where the Americans exhibited dissent with the English monarchy which oppressed them. Now the right is trying to use that same symbolism to induce hatred towards the current administration. As I was watching the coverage of the tea parties on Fox (Twas the only network giving prominent coverage) I couldnt keep myself from smiling at the low turnout (except for one or two places). It is funny how both Sri lankan politics and US politics coincide. In Sri lanka we have a popular president and most of the protests against him have low turnout. Mostly because the presidents supporters are grassroots level and the main opposition UNP consist of mostly well to do people who would rather look after their businesses than go out and picket. This is the reason why eventhough the UNP has substantial support, it doesnt show in the election rallies. Same is applicable for the republican party which has a support base which is not really grassroots. Or at least the grassroots people dont seem to turn up.
Ironically, I think the republican party should take a page out of the Sri lankan marxist organization, the JVP whose organizational skills are way off the charts. (Or at least the employment level of their supporters are way down the charts!)
